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YouTube Vuvuzela Button

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 10:48:06 -0500

Looks like the Vuvuzela made the big time. YouTube made a little soccer ball icon at the bottom left of the video player that you can click to enhance your viewing experience!

Check it out: Donovan Interview

Photo

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:46:13 -0500

Holy Week Experience: EASTER SUNDAY!!!!

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Happy Easter!

I want to start this post in an unlikely place… a garden. More specifically, we find ourselves in the Garden of Eden. It is where this whole week gets its meaning and significance. Without the events of this garden, today means very little because it is in this garden we lost our relationship with God. It is also in this garden where God speaks to Adam and Eve and says, “I am going to send a boy. He is going to restore this relationship you just broke. Be on the lookout for Him.”

Divine Poetry: How poetic is it that the hardest words ever spoken (Eden) most beautiful words ever spoken (at the empty tomb) were in gardens? The parallelism here is breathtaking to me. In a garden, we were separated from God and introduced to death. In a garden, we are brought back into a relationship with God and introduced to life! Angels present at both. There is Adam, the original gardener. And there is Jesus, posing as a gardener. First Adam… and Last Adam (1 Cor 15:45). The fulfillment stands for all time.

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor 15:55-57

“He is risen! Praise God!”

NOTE: Thank you for sharing the Holy Week Experience with me this week. I hope you had as much fun as I did. Your comments are appreciated as this is my first time to blog like this. Have a great day! Don’t forget to subscribe: RSS version or EMAIL version!

Holy Week Experience: Holy Saturday

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Holy Saturday is a relatively quiet day.

The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”
“Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

Point 1: I am not really sure how someone can read this (especially with the extra-Biblical evidence) and not see some real irony here in the conspiracy theories. Even on Saturday his body was still there. If I were a Roman soldier and I were given a task and the guy wasn’t there… I would be screaming bloody murder! But the record shows that no stink is raised. The guards went. And from that point they were standing guard. We are talking trained killers. World conquerors at the foot of the tomb. Think about that.

Point 2: (Landon’s ratting out the Jews!!!) This always cracks me up. These Pharisees, these people of God, these law-keepers to the extreme… are they doing work on the Sabbath by concerning themselves with all this and striking deals with the Roman government???? (Please read all the sarcasm you want into that last comment… I meant it.)

Holy Week Experience: Good Friday

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Good Friday is widely recognized as the day Jesus died. Many of you know the story. We have some good narrative to cover today, so please take your time and reflect on it.

Early in the AM: Jesus is taken to the Sanhedrin for trial. It is a well-known and documented fact that they wanted him dead, but the tricky part of the situation is that Jerusalem was under Roman authority… and by Roman law no one could be executed outside the jurisdiction of the Roman government. They charged Jesus with blasphemy yet sent him to the Roman authorities under the trespass of trying to overthrow Roman rule. The charges didn’t exactly match up.

Pilate - Herod - Pilate: They took him to Pilate early in the morning as soon as they could. Pilate had already been in tension with the higher ups in the Roman Empire and if an uprising would have started on his watch… well, he would have been relieved of his position. So he sends Jesus, or pawns the situation off, to Herod (the governor if you will) in hopes that he will not be liable. Herod, who could see a job opportunity opening up shared the same disdain for the situation and makes a political move of his own and sends Jesus back. At this, Pilate’s hand is forced when the crowd threatens to riot.

The Crowd (part A): Do you ever wonder where these people came from this early in the morning. How did they know where to go? How did they turn on Jesus from Sunday to Friday? Quick thought: Where would you find a crowd like this to convene so quickly? Possible Answer: There are a lot of people who serve at the temple. A lot of people depend on the pay from the temple to put food on the table. If your leaders request your presence (rather strongly), do you think it would be possible to get a crowd like this? Possibly. Jesus is sentenced to die at the hand of the Romans. Religious crimes. Governmental execution.

The Most Overlooked Verse in the Bible: Where are the Hosanna people from Sunday? I think you will find this interesting. The most overlooked verse in the Bible… Luke 23:27, “A large number of people followed him (The Crowd: Part B), including women who mourned and wailed for him.“ They were there! This following… these people shouting to Jesus on Sunday, “SAVE US!” And now they are wailing as their hopes quickly fade with every step that comes closer to Golgotha. I wonder if they knew about the trial taking place in the Roman courts just hours before.

Seven Sayings From the Cross:

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
And Jesus said unto him, Truly I say to you, Today you will be with me in paradise.
Woman, behold your son! Then he said to the disciple,
Behold your mother!
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Quoting Psalm 22. If you don’t do anything else today, read it… it is eerie.)
After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, said, I thirst.
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

Earthquake. Temple Curtain torn in two from top-to-bottom.

Quick Burial: Because it is almost the Sabbath when Jesus dies, he has to have a quick burial before sundown. This explains the reason the women and disciples went to the tomb on Sunday morning first thing. He was not given the proper treatment that any person would receive on Friday. No ritual washing. No Jewish Tachrichim (custom of death wrapping). All that put on hold for the Sabbath. Interesting, isn’t it?

Note: If the story ended here, Jesus would simply be a martyr.

Holy Week Experience: Maundy Thursday

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Maundy Thursday is also known as Easter Triduum (3 days before Easter). This is a rather eventful day in the life of Christ… and therefore the life of the Church. Maundy comes from the Old English vernacular (latin = mandatum) and is taken from John 13, “A new commandment (instruction/teaching) I give unto you, That you love one another; as I have loved you.”

Big comment: Not even Moses made commandments. He delivered them from YHWH. I don’t think people really realize the magnitude of this statement Jesus makes. It’s not just about the command, but that He has the authority to command.

Lord’s Supper: In the evening on Thursday we come to the Passover meal. Many people already know the significance of the Passover meal in rememberance of the exodus from slavery. What I find interesting about this meal is that Jesus takes it and draws the connection in such a way that sounds like this: (from Landon’s Free Translation) “There was a night you remember. It was the night when I rescued you from slavery, and I made death pass over you because of my strong love (KESED) for you. I recognized the sacrifice and brought you into a new life that you had never known. I ultimately made you into my people… and today you still remember that great act of love. Tonight I fulfill that great act which point to this moment in time for all these years… only this time the sacrifice will stand forever. By taking part in this, you are connected to me and to each other as my people.”

Washing of the Feet: Feet are dirty and cleaning other people’s feet makes most people shiver. Congrats if you don’t share this feeling. You are rare. Between the Lord’s Supper and the Foot Washing, we see a servant Christ that doesn’t look anything like the militant Messiah expected. Expectations can be so misleading, can’t they? What a parallel to Mary, who washed and annointed Jesus’ feet just hours/days prior. I wonder how the disciples accepted Mary’s servant act (good form) and if they felt awkward that theor leader just sis the same thing. Was Jesus annointing their ministry (most martyrs) as well?

Garden of Gethsemene (“Oil Press”): After the upper room, Jesus retreats to the garden. This was a regular prayer place for the group. Jesus prays, sweats, bleeds… not my will, but yours. The disciples nod off. Judas kisse. The narrative picks up speed very quickly. See you tomorrow.

Holy Week Experience: Spy Wednesday

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Today in Holy Week we come to what is known as Spy Wednesday… or the day of the betrayal by Judas for 30 pieces of silver. It is also the day Mary brings perfume and pours it over Jesus’ feet.

Matthew 26: 6-11 - While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. …”

Matthew 26:14-16 - Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

Point of Interest: The woman brings a bottle of perfume worth one year’s wages and uses it to anoint Jesus’ feet. She weeps tears on His feet and then washes them with her hair. Judas is appalled. Meanwhile Judas betrays Jesus for a tenth of what the perfume was worth, only to seal the deal with a kiss of death later in the week. Interesting how the sinful woman and the (supposedly) faithful disciple have switched roles in what it should be like.

I find it intriguing how there are so many things in the Gospels that simply turn the typical actions of everyday life up on end. There is a beauty to the role reversals in the lives surrounding Jesus. The religious people don’t get it. The commoners who have nothing to hold on to… well, they do get it.

Questions to Think About:

Do you get it?
Why is it that people who have nothing to hold on to seem to respond in a way that the Gospel writers mark as a beautiful event?
Why is it that people who think they have it figured out always seem to screw up when approaching Jesus?
What might you be holding on to that prevents you from ‘getting it’ when embracing the message of Jesus?

Holy Week Experience: Plot-Thickening Tuesday

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Plot Thickening Tuesday. Today Jesus gets in a scuffle with the Pharisees. They are trying to trap Him because he is shaking up their religious world. He has already won the hearts of the people and cleared the temple of the moneychangers and their share of the market. They are not happy because naturally they get a cut of the profits sold in the temple areas. Bet you didn’t think of that one yesterday, did ya! Neither did I. I was reading today and stumbled across this thought = I had an ‘AHA! moment’.

Soon after Jesus stumps the Pharisees, He begins to teach what is known as the Mount Olivet Discourse - engaging the ‘end time’ teachings we read about in Matthew. Click here to read the text

So to recap: Jesus win the hearts to the people on Sunday; clears the temple and makes the religious leaders mad on Monday; lays some harsh words down on the religious leaders again and talks about the end times heavily on Tuesday.

Questions to Think About:

Have you ever tried to paint God into a corner (argue your case or justify your actions) because it interfered with what you had going on?
Has He ever called you out to readjust your perspective?
What are your interpretations of the end times in light of what Jesus says in the text in this post?

Holy Week Experience: Zeal Monday

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Zeal Monday (as I call it) is commonly remembered as the day Jesus clears the temple. Check out the text from Mark:

The next day, when they had come out from Bethany, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came to see if perhaps he might find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. Jesus told it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” and his disciples heard it.
They came to Jerusalem, and Jesus entered into the temple, and began to throw out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of those who sold the doves. He would not allow anyone to carry a container through the temple. He taught, saying to them, “Isn’t it written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations?’ But you have made it a den of robbers!”
The chief priests and the scribes heard it, and sought how they might destroy him. For they feared him, because all the multitude was astonished at his teaching.
When evening came, he went out of the city.

Okay so imagine this: all 250,000 people into Jerusalem to make sacrifices at the temple. How many entrepreneurs does it take to figure it out that some people are not going to bring a #2 pencil to a scantron test? So what do you do? Let’s set up shop at the temple, sell some sacrificial animals, and make a bundle off the event!

In a sense, all the reverence of the event turns into a ‘going through the motions’ session. I always pictured this event as one where there were about 100 people standing around making bids on goats. But the real impact came when I read how many people were in the city. This was no small gathering. Imagine how difficult it would have been to come into the temple area with a reverent heart before the LORD and earnestly pray when you had all of these people bartering for animals that weren’t their own in order to sacrifice them as a formality.

Prophecy Fulfilled: Psalm 69:9 – “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

These sacrifices were weak at best. When Jesus clears the temple a clear message is sent to those who were present: “You are wrong. Everything about this is manufactured. It has lost its beauty. This is not about a relationship anymore. You have made it about a pithy requirement.”

Questions to Think About:

Have you ever ‘run through the motions’ in worship or prayer?
Have you ever paid for someone else to engage in bringing the sacrifice so you didn’t have to get your hands dirty or because it was easier that way? (think missions)
What does it look like to fully engage the disciplines of worship and prayer in your own life? What value do you place on them?

Holy Week Experience: Palm Sunday

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Palm Sunday is the commemoration of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem as king and promised Messiah. A key point in this part of the narrative is the timing. We find ourselves in the approaching the Passover Feast, which is a remembrance of the miraculous exodus from Egypt where the Israelites were ‘passed over’ by the angel of death – the final straw breaking the heart of Pharaoh and triggering the release.

Jewish pilgrims would make the trek to Jerusalem from all over the countryside and surrounding nations to make sacrifices at the temple during this festival time. Normally, there would be about 80,000 people in the city, but considering the major festival weekend there were up to 250,000. This is key to know because much of Jesus’ ministry was in the rural sectors to the north in Galilee (kind of the boondocks of Israel). He had gained many followers by this time who were captivated and amazed at the power behind His teaching along with the miracles which pointed to Him as abnormal. The followers say He was performing miracles, but the opposition would call them sorcery. Think about that one for a minute. This is the setting for the entry.

Point of Interest: The Chant. As Jesus enters the Holy City, he is met by many followers shouting, “Hosanna (Hebrew for ‘Please Save/Deliver!’) to the Son of David!” Interestingly enough they are referring to the great king who firmly established Israel’s place in the world. Militant and just, David worshiped and strived to remain faithful to God alone. To chant this would be connecting Jesus to David as one who would bring it all back – oust the Romans, purify the nation, restore the honor of Israel. This is the hope anyway.

Point of Interest: The Donkey. Jesus has an unusual means of transportation upon His entry. In that time, one who conquers a city in war would ride through the nation’s capital mounted on a horse. Alexander did this on several occasions. It was a flexing of the muscles so to speak. If it were a peaceful transition of power, another option would be riding a donkey/mule to communicate minimal tension in the process. Amid the royal battles for the throne in the Old Testament, David instructed his son Solomon to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey to mark him as the successor to the throne who would reconcile the nation. In a sense, Jesus is communicating this same thing… He is coming to bring reconciliation and peace, not military overthrow.

Prophecy Fulfilled: Zechariah 9:9. Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Questions to Think About:

How do you shout Hosanna (Please Save!) in your life today?
Is what you want to be saved/delivered from in line with what God is saving/delivering you from?
What expectations do you have about God and the way He is working out reconciliation in the world?
Is He up to something different than what we think He should be?

Holy Week Experience: Intro

Sat, 04 Apr 2009 13:25:00 -0500

Narrative. If you look at the way people understand life, it all goes back to the interpretation of narrative. When I think of the most memorable speeches, sermons, books, etc. that I have experienced, the common link is that there were high impact narrative stories behind them.

Liturgically the church has employed narrative in the church year. Advent, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, and then all over again… the church is living the narrative of Jesus year in and year out. I tend to gravitate toward the experience of walking through the life of Jesus. Born to live. Born to die. Born to live again. It is what Paul calls the ‘message of the cross’. A beautiful, living story.

The church has traditionally referred to this week as Holy Week or Passion Week. For the next few days, I invite you to walk through this experience with me. I have done some research and will be connecting this week’s events in Jesus’ life with some prophecies and with some first century historical meaning, and we will trek with scripture through the most anticipated and written about event in history.

See you tomorrow for Palm Sunday!

Psalm 96 Thoughts

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 11:32:56 -0500

Becky and I have been reading a psalm every night for the past several months. Last night we read and talked about Psalm 96. I think it is interesting how when we think of the psalms, we tend to gravitate toward the magnanimous one filled with worship language of high praise, laced with shouts for joy and singing to the LORD.

In our trek through the psalms, however, number 96 is probably the 4th or 5th one that really belts out this type of worship. The more prevalent genre is one of rescue and deliverance from enemies, colored by a desparation inside David (or other writer) that cries out in what we would think of as a negative situation. To boot, many of them call on God to take action (dramatic) against those who stood in the way of the writer.

As I reflect on this I can’t help but try to remember the last time we read a psalm like this in a worship setting. It seems like we do gravitate toward the psalms that make us feel better in a worship gathering. I wonder if there is a connection between our use of the psalms in worship and how we want to feel during this gathering. Case in point: even when we use a psalm that contains heavy material toward the enemy, we tend to dice it up and read around the “bring the heat, God!” wording that the psalm contains.

This time that Becky and I have spent reading and discussing the Psalms has really changed the shape of how I look at the book as a whole. I think it is amazing that I have read through the whole book at least four times and this understanding happens now.

New every morning.

First Baptism

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 20:16:00 -0600

Today was my first baptism! I have wondered for a while now what it would be like to fulfill this servant role in someone’s life, and all I can really say is that I am honored and in awe. I also wondered if I would goof up the name on my first time, but those concerns were quickly put away when I learned the little boy’s name… LANDON!!! How cool is that?!

Today I learned and experienced more deeply the beauty of how God uses His people to carry out His ministry. Broken people. People who have experienced the depth of sin and the awesome power of His grace… the measure of His love for us. I thought of May 10, 1981 - the day I was baptized. I wondered how Pastor Wuensche felt the day he baptized me. I still have a picture up in th living room of my grandparents holding me that day. The older I get, the more I appreciate this day where God put His name on me and said, “I choose you, Landon.”

He said those same words today to a different Landon. My prayer is that this Landon will come to appreciate this beautiful gift as I do and that God would continue to grow his faith throughout his life.

Mark 16:16 - “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.” -Jesus Christ

Apparent Spanish Skills!

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:40:26 -0600

Apparent Spanish Skills!:

Evidently I write in Spanish… according to a friend who forwarded this to me recently. Looks like there is an english link too. Just a fun little post.

Becky Singing

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 21:58:00 -0600

A few minutes ago I finished cleaning alot of the house with Becky. I had a playlist from the EPIC worship gathering that I put together playing on my laptop. As I was cleaning, I heard Becky singing in perfect harmony with the song and I just had one of those moments. I am a really blessed man. I have a wife who loves the Lord (and she can sing too!). Little things….

ELEMENT 2009 - Faith and Adventure will collide this summer in...

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 23:34:39 -0600

ELEMENT 2009 - Faith and Adventure will collide this summer in POP Student Ministry! We are making the trip to Colorado July 4-12.

"The primary work of leadership is to continually stand in the place where it is compelled to ask the..."

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 14:37:06 -0600

““The primary work of leadership is to continually stand in the place where it is compelled to ask the question of what God is about among this group of people who comprise this local church in this specific context at this particular time.””

- Alan Roxburgh

Christmas Realization

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 08:09:01 -0600

I am a visual guy. I have heard the Christmas story many times over the course of my life, but after watching the clip I just posted I had a fresh (not necessarily new) thought:

I find it amazing that even at the birthing event of the Messiah, His own people had no room for Him. Watching Joseph running through Bethlehem practically begging for a place to stay was powerful for me. Somehow I had an image that he was walking from door to door in a neighborhood asking for a room. But I bet it was more like a frantic, desperate attempt to protect his wife and the baby.

He had to have felt dissappointed with his fellow Jews at this point. All these rooms filled in town, and no one wanted to give theirs up for a pregnant lady whose water broke and was having contractions every minute. Even then they wouldn’t receive Him… if just from a pity or a humanitarian perspective.

In a way, after watching the video clip I related more with Bethlehem’s community members than the new family. We live in a community who wants the fun Jesus, the ‘lovey-dovey’ Jesus… and not the cold, wet, fluid-covered Jesus who was wrapped in rejection from the minute Mary’s contractions began.

…and He still did it.

+Thank you Jesus for being bigger and more compassionate than I (we) deserve.+

Merry Christmas!

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 07:51:00 -0600

Merry Christmas!

Welcome!

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:03:00 -0600

To those who are taking the time to look at this site in response to the email… THANK YOU! Take a few minutes to look around, comment, and SUBSCRIBE via RSS or Email. Very simple for the techies and the not so tech savvy. The goal is to be accessible for all! Have fun. I look forward to hearing from you!

Landon